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Researchers at a University of Toronto pain research center say several experiments suggest people who are able to let their minds wander may be better able to manage pain. One test that used MRI scans found those whose minds can wander easily had more nerve connections to a part of the brain that produces painkilling substances.

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The FDA's approval of the opoid painkiller Zohydro last week came without a requirement that the drug have biochemical mechanisms to control abuse, setting it apart from other drugs, such as OxyContin and Opana, that have abuse-deterrent formulations. Zogenix, the pharmaceutical company that developed Zohydro, said it plans to offer an abuse-deterrent form of the drug and an FDA representative said the agency makes decisions on abuse-deterrent requirements on a case-by-case basis.

A team from the Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress at the University of California, Los Angeles, is designing a standardized database that will store brain scans and other health data to aid researchers in understanding chronic pain. The Pain and Interoception Imaging Network, which is being developed through a $300,000 NIH grant, allows researchers to view metadata on more than 1,000 patients such as symptoms, gene expression and psychosocial factors.

The Rita Allen Foundation and the American Pain Society may award two grants in the amount of $50,000 annually, for a period of up to three years to those proposals demonstrating the greatest merit and potential for success. Proposed research should be directed towards the molecular biology of pain and/or basic science topics related to the development of new analgesic management. Candidates must have completed their training and provided persuasive evidence of distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in basic science research in pain. The application process opens on Friday, Nov. 1. Learn more.

The 2014 APS Scientific Program Committee invites submissions of abstracts for poster presentations at the 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa. Submitted abstracts must select a specific topic in order to be selected. Accepted posters will be presented at the APS Annual Scientific Meeting, April 30–May 3, 2014. Primary authors will be notified of their abstract's status in late December. The deadline to submit an abstract is Friday, Nov. 15. Learn more.

A study from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital found that singing lullabies to sick children younger than 3 reduced their pain and heart rate better than reading to them or leaving them alone. Another study, from the University of Utah Pain Management Center, found that 66% of people 16 to 24 found listening to music helped relieve persistent pain.